INTRODUCTION

Epidemiology is the study of how disease is distributed in populations and the factors that influence or determine this distribution. Why does a disease develop in some people and not in others? The premise underlying epidemiology is that disease, illness, ill health, and excellent health status are not randomly distributed in human populations. Rather, each of us has certain characteristics that predispose us to, or protect us against, a variety of different diseases. These characteristics may be primarily genetic in origin, the result of exposure to certain environmental hazards, or the behaviors (good and bad) that we engage in. Perhaps most often, we are dealing with an interaction of genetic, environmental, and behavioral and social factors in the development of disease. 

Learning outcomes

At the end of course the medical students will be able to:

1.Define epidemiology

2. Describe the usuage of epidemiology

3.Apply epidemiological knowledge in describing disease pattern and distribution in their area of work

4. Describe the strengths and weakness of different types of epidemiological methods

5. Calculate measures of mortality and morbidity.

6. Define screening test.

7.Calculate senstivity, specificity and predictive values of screening test.

Recommended books are Text book of Preventive and Social medicine by K Park, Public Health and Community Medicine by Shah-Ilyas-Ansari-Irfan's

Students are evaluated by assigning epidemiological surveys

Investigating epidemics

class tests

annual examination